ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will boycott the special joint session of the Parliament which is scheduled to be addressed by visiting Turkish President.
Imran Khan on Tuesday announced that his party would boycott the joint session of the Parliament. Talking to media outside his Banigala residence, Khan said his party would not attend the joint session until the Supreme Court decides the Panamagate case.
It is to be mentioned here that PTI had earlier said it would reconsider the decision at the request of Turkish Ambassador Sadik Babur Girgin. On Monday, Qureshi said that a three-member party delegation led by him had called on the Turkish ambassador to apprise him of the background of the party’s decision to boycott the Turkish president’s address to the joint sitting. Reportedly, the Turkish Ambassador had requested PTI not to boycott the joint session.
Khan said PTI lawmakers would not attend a joint session under a controversial prime minister who is facing corruption charges.
He said that the PTI welcome the Turkish president to Pakistan but at the same time, they did not want to endorse a prime minister who has broken the country’s law and has engaged in corruption.
Erdogan is scheduled to arrive in Pakistan for a two-day official visit this week. The government has convened a special joint sitting of parliament on Nov 17 so the Turkish president can address lawmakers.
Khan added that it had become impossible for PTI lawmakers to go to Parliament given the treatment that was meted out to party workers.
Regarding the Panamagate case, the PTI chairman said the government was telling more lies to save the prime minister from accountability.
